Jun Takeuchi: Resident Evil must target 'Mass Audience' not (small) Hardcore market

[Scream]

Yeah, I remember around that time they released remake (2002), Capcom really started treating Resident Evil like a franchise. We had REmake, RE0, more gun survivors, Gaiden, RE online, Wesker's reports coming out of our ears, the RE movie etc. Some of it was good stuff, they added a lot to the RE universe.

Something hideously went wrong around this time though.. RE4 felt very unattached to all the stuff that came before it - especially RECV. We had Chris going off in his plane, it's time to take down Umbrella! Yeah! Next thing we know Umbrella is dead and buried. I guess RE4 just went through some sort of development hell, but no worries, it only messed up the storyline for the rest of the series.

I think logically it would of been better to put RE4 inbetween RE3/cV or straight after CV. There was no need for such a drastic change of the story at that time, and then to suddenly include characters like Spencer to tie up loose ends only cheapened the original RE story. In an ideal world instead of cranking out games at breakneck speeds to appease the masses, they would of took their time and spread the already decent storyline (and characters) from the first few games over several more titles.

If that had happened, then right now with RE6 we would just be getting to the end of a much more developed Umbrella/Spencer storyline but instead we're nowhere. It would also of been easier to start fresh or just finish the series.. The RE game world at the moment is on the verge of becoming like RE4: Afterlife, completely nonsensical and not worth looking into seriously.

Though I'll say RE4, RE5 and the upcoming RE6 make a lot of sense from the "mainstream" angle of course.

[Darkmoon]

I'm pretty sure RE5 has outsold most of its competitors in both the third person shooter and survival horror genres.

Besides, weren't the RE games always designed with the intent to appeal to a global audience, even from the very beginning? This really is no different.

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I mean that I think the newer RE games would have been as succesful if they'd kept horror and exploration elements (I'd like more puzzle elements, too, but they probably would fuck the game up...) and continued to use the newer control system as they are now, closer to pure action.

I am very surprised that RE5 did similar numbers to other games of a similar style like Uncharted and Gears of War. As much as I prefer RE over both of those games, they are in many ways castly superior experiences to RE5. I wonder how much of RE's sales now are based on the name alone?

[The_15th]

I honestly don't mind, I'm just waiting for a replacement, capcom, come on already!!!! Gimme my fix!!!

[Det. Beauregard]

Capcom has revealed its new business strategy, and confirmed that it will release titles aimed at a small hardcore market, and others aimed at a larger, mass audience.

If only they were talking exclusively about RE games...

I think the newer RE games would have been as succesful if they'd kept horror and exploration elements (I'd like more puzzle elements, too, but they probably would fuck the game up...) and continued to use the newer control system as they are now, closer to pure action.

You mean like 3.5? I think it would work, but not if the whole game is like that. There has to be some balance. Even the classic RE games had moments of sheer terror and moments of bad ass huge monster-fighting one-liner fests.

I wonder how much of RE's sales now are based on the name alone?

These days, I'm guessing a lot. The typical casual gamer (to whom RE5 was targeted) have probably seen one or more of the action-packed movies, thus thinks the game should be a similar experience. Voila! RE5.

If RE5 didn't have the RE name attached to it, I'm guessing it wouldn't even have sold half as much as it did.

[Inferno04]

Behold, a game that has you shooting viral bears with plasma rifles, and a sex mini-game! And for the kiddies, there's tennis and bejeweled mini-games! Story, what's that?

Well that's the only way they could distill the series from how it was. xD I know RE4 and 5 were different, yes, but I have to agree that the blame is set more on the movies. RE4 popularized third person shootting, and I think the biggest effect it had was paving the way for more games to rip-it off, or possibly do better. It still felt like RE in a way though, it still had horror-qualities...

RE5 only managed to do that with Lost in Nightmares, the smartest thing Capcom added to the DLC in my opinion. I enjoy RE5 pretty much only for its co-op, but something tells me the series could be worse...It isn't the be all-end all of RE's death. That's on its way.

[Davi Redfield]

I must be getting insane, Takeuchi seems to be smiling from my dark thoughts in that image.

But, he just said what Capcom is already making: targeting the main audience.

Just wondering what titles they have in mind for the "small number of hardcore gamers".

[TheSelfishGene]

Plants VS Zombies x RE Crossover. Calling it now...

Now to be serious,

RE5 sold well on the high expectations that people had after 4. I don't think they will be able to pull that off again. I think they need to do something different with RE6. Even if it is just tighten the gameplay of 5, change the locale, dump the AI, fix the inventory, etc.

People talk as if casual games and hardcore games are mutually exclusive. I don't think they are. I'm not the most hardcore of hardcore gamers, but I identify myself in that camp. Yet there are 'casual' games (like Plants Vs Zombies) which I love to play.
I just think the cross-talk is one way. There are 'casual' games hardcore gamers like (think Geomerty Wars), but alot of hardcore games that casual gamers don't like, so I don't think Takeuchi's words are necessarily the first sign of the apocalypse. Besides, as others have said, this series has been striving for main stream acceptance pretty much right from the start.

[Archelon]

Plants VS Zombies x RE Crossover. Calling it now...

I'd buy it.

[The_15th]

He said RE would be mass market, he also said there'd be a trend for more niche games. Maybe capcom have simply decided to go ahead and milk the cow dry is all. It doesn't mean all their games will be like that. There'll still be Halo Planet and Dark Sector May Cry.

[Dracarys]

Just wondering what titles they have in mind for the "small number of hardcore gamers".

Megaman 11, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2. The Mercenaries 3D would fit that description probably.

[Smiley]

RE4 popularized third person shooting, and I think the biggest effect it had was paving the way for more games to rip-it off, or possibly do better.

I agree, and frankly it cheapens the way we play games when some franchises now are catering to third person action shoot em ups.

RE4 wasn't as timeless as I once believed. It may have started the trend in game play, but now it's just among the cattle along with all the others.

I'm growing sick of this mainstream move. Even to the point where I (wisely) didn't get any hopes up for TGS, and I certainly do not feel inclined to buy a 3DS just to play what looks like RE4 with RE5 characters and RE4/RE5 mercenary modes.

It's a bummer too. I really did want to take out Umbrella at a point after beating Code Veronica. Then 4 came and crushed the idea only to leave it open with Wesker taking the helm. Umbrella Chronicles decided to make the end of umbrella a chapter of a rail shooting experience. To top it off we're given RE5 to 'play it safe' by being RE4 with co-op. And don't even get me started on the closure aspects of that game.

All in all Capcom can go mainstream all they like. They've already killed off Dino Crisis by making DC3 and the backlash I hear over the un-needed 'DmC' reboot....how long till they drive Resident Evil to suicide? Maybe not for a while since the hype is still generally there.

[Inferno04]

I agree, and frankly it cheapens the way we play games when some franchises now are catering to third person action shoot em ups.

RE4 wasn't as timeless as I once believed. It may have started the trend in game play, but now it's just among the cattle along with all the others.

I'm growing sick of this mainstream move. Even to the point where I (wisely) didn't get any hopes up for TGS, and I certainly do not feel inclined to buy a 3DS just to play what looks like RE4 with RE5 characters and RE4/RE5 mercenary modes.

It's a bummer too. I really did want to take out Umbrella at a point after beating Code Veronica. Then 4 came and crushed the idea only to leave it open with Wesker taking the helm. Umbrella Chronicles decided to make the end of umbrella a chapter of a rail shooting experience. To top it off we're given RE5 to 'play it safe' by being RE4 with co-op. And don't even get me started on the closure aspects of that game.

All in all Capcom can go mainstream all they like. They've already killed off Dino Crisis by making DC3 and the backlash I hear over the un-needed 'DmC' reboot....how long till they drive Resident Evil to suicide? Maybe not for a while since the hype is still generally there.

Yup. I LOVE third person shooters, but do we really have to hybrid it with an entirely different genre? Couldn't Capcom have made a separate game to popularize it? Did they have to make the entire series do a face-heel-turn, including in story? (Whoops, forget CVX's cliffhanger, Umbrella is gone, kthz bai, new virus/parasite.)

Yeah, it's a sad thing. It's like Final Fantasy being one of the forefront in mainstream RPGs, but now it's just kind of tired and no one cares nearly as much as they did in the FFVII/X days. I know I don't give a damn.

The ironic thing is games that stay 'timeless', at least for me, tend to be the small games, the ones without any hype. They tended to be different, so they weren't ripped off as much, and don't fade into the crowd AS easy. I KNOW it is pure opinion but....when I think of high quality story in an RPG, I think of Shadow Hearts, not Final Fantasy X...I'm sorry, it just bugs me how they had a similar release date. xD *Holding this grudge forever*

[BrionIrons]

Like what Stu said who gives a rats ass on what Jun Takeuchi says.hes not involved with RE 6and im glad.

[WeskerSexyCheez]

I’m wondering if companies are holding onto the mistaken view that traditional survival horrors are dated. I can’t see them as being so but I can say I am already bored of the formula Resident Evil 4 and 5 went by. I don’t think there is an end to ways you can scare people, but certainly there are only so many ways you can shoot something in the face (or slimy twitchy blob thing.)

[Enetirnel]

These days, I'm guessing a lot. The typical casual gamer (to whom RE5 was targeted) have probably seen one or more of the action-packed movies, thus thinks the game should be a similar experience. Voila! RE5.

If RE5 didn't have the RE name attached to it, I'm guessing it wouldn't even have sold half as much as it did.

Honestly put, but as I had been working for EB/Gamestop at the time around the release of 5 I can firmly say that that was quite the case.

I would hear conversations between people staring at the television screens going in a similar sort of fashion to the following examples:
"Oh my fucking god Cuz! It's a game from 'dem movies.. y'know with all the zombies and hot chicks! Cuz, we totally got to buy this... looks sick."
"Duude, check out those explosions! Cool! Blood, awesome. HEEEADSHOT!! Hahahaha, nasty blood and shit. I'm gonna get this, I wonder if you can teabag them or something."
"Hey, the graphics don't suck. Come here and have a look at this, it looks really well made. Maybe it's kind of like Uncharted with... zombies or some sort of weird monsters?"

I only heard a couple of fans in the entire lead-up to it across the region in Sydney and had to attend a few various events in which all of the staff would have to gather and test some stuff out like the Nintendo DSi launch and other crap to discuss promotion of the specific "Lead Titles" and 5 was included.

The only fans that bought it from the shops around where I worked at, went "Oh hey, Chris and Wesker. Sure, it plays like 4 probably but I'm sure they've done more and since it's a Chris game it should have zombies in it. With Wesker in it, there's got to be an epic hand-to-hand fight to finish off CODE: Veronica." now, these ones were the ones who had also bought Umbrella Chronicles hoping it'd be good and picked up the Wii Ports as well.

I have to say, after the release day within a few days there was more than fifty returns and/or trade-ins on it and people bitching about it not having anyone from the movies in it, the controls suck, what's the deal with that douche with sunglasses, bitching about how it isn't a real Resident Evil game and the like.

So I have to say, although the sales were boomed by the casual gamers that saw all the pretty graphics and explosions - not even they were impressed with it on the majority as I thought this might be the case and all of the other shops (games or mixed stores) were having customers shouting and demanding money back as they felt it was unplayable with the tank controls.

And to Inferno, in regards to the Final Fantasy comment - they've been dumbed down as so many people complained they were too hard to understand, too hard to find a way around and crap unless you had played through some of the other ones.

Sadly, I wish a good portion of the casual market would fuck off when it starts to greatly impact previously good franchises that had a good amount of detail and depth to the design and plot.